Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Luke 17:17-18 NIV

Stopped To Return

Here I am. I have also returned to give thanks to you. I know that I am a little late. It’s better to be late, even if it’s really late, than to never return to give thanks to you at all, isn’t it? Yes, it is.Why are you stopping to give thanks to me now? Haven’t you had plenty of reasons to give thanks to me before in the past? Yes, I have had an abundance of reasons to give thanks to you. I’m not positive why I haven’t taken the time to give thanks to you. Can you think of some good guesses? Yes, I can. Let me hear them.

My life has been really busy. That’s not an excuse. It’s just a fact. Maybe I should have said that I’ve let my life get too busy. That’s sounds better. The busyness of my life has kept me from taking time to consider how you have blessed my life. I always seem to be racing from one thing to the next. I’m sure that I haven’t noticed or recognized many of the ways that you have blessed my life. That’s for sure. I know that it is time to come to a complete stop to sit down with you. I’d like that. Me too. Here I am. I’m stopped and sitting down right here, right now. Yes, I can see that. What would you like to say to me? I’m sorry that I have failed to give thanks to you for all that you have done for me. I ask for your forgiveness. You know that you are forgiven. Yes, I do. I really want to take time to consider all that you have done, are doing and will do for me so that I can give you the all thanks that you deserve. That will be great.

There is something that you want me to do for you isn’t there? Yes Lord, there is. Tell me what you want. I want you to help me to be a thankful person. It is my desire to have my heart overflow in thankfulness to you. I don’t want to race right on by your blessings. I don’t want to let what you have done for me go unnoticed. I don’t want to be ungrateful and always wanting more. I want to be content and thankful for all that you have given and will give to me. I know that you have already given more to me than I could have ever hoped for or even imagined. Yes, I have. Do you believe that I will answer this prayer that is in your heart?

Do you have faith that I will help your heart to overflow in thankfulness to me? Yes Lord, I am sure that you will hear and answer this prayer for me. Why is that? You placed my desire to give thanks to you in my heart. Yes, I did and I am glad that you know that. I have heard and will answer your prayer. I’m sure that you have already begun. Yes, I have.

Lord, I would like you to help me to be a thankful person. I know that I have raced right on by your blessings. Help me to come to a complete stop so that I will draw near to you to give you thanks for how you have blessed my life. Amen

Individual users may save the Discipleship study guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.